Fairport Harbor Lighthouse receives gift of time (with video)

On a gray Saturday morning, brick pavers were pulled up and carefully repositioned.

Signs, benches and equipment all were given a fresh layer of paint.

The inside of the lens room also was repainted.

Even the inside of Fairport Harbor Lighthouse was swept out as volunteers spruced up the structure and nearby Marine Museum.

The effort was part of LyondellBasell's annual Global Care Day, which saw about 20 employees and their families donate four hours of labor to the Fairport Harbor Historical Society.

For LyondellBasell, the annual volunteer day is a global effort, which this year took place in more than 60 locations, company representative Patti Kowardy said.

"It's a day to give back to Fairport Harbor," Kowardy said of the local effort.

In past years, the LyondellBasell team has renovated the museum's garage and updated the keeper's dwelling and two display rooms, museum curator Dan Maxson said.

The four or five hours a year the team donates helps the society complete projects that otherwise would take months to tackle. Prior to their offers of assistance, the lighthouse and museum hadn't seen a fresh coat of paint in more than two decades, Maxson said.

"They're helping us sustain for future generations the history of Fairport and the Great Lakes," Maxson said.

This year, the assistance is especially meaningful as it comes in the village's bicentennial year. The lighthouse was built in 1825.

The museum receives about 4,000 visitors annually and is operated on a volunteer basis. The historical society claims 213 members, of which 20 live nearby and 10 to 12 volunteer regularly, giving anywhere from 40 to 600 volunteer hours a year, Maxson said.

"Any historical society or museum will tell you, donations are nice, but it's the gift of time that's the most generous gift a person could give," Maxson said.